Alcander, The Element of Dark Magic
by ResonantChaos
Summary: In this story, the long believed dead brother of Princess Celestia and Luna returns. Wanting to live a calm and peaceful life, he moves to Ponyville. With ancient evils preparing to wreak havic on Equestria and beyond, the Elements of Harmony must ally themselves with an evil turned good. Note: This is my first fanfic, R&R welcomed.
1. Prologue

**This is my very first fanfiction. I'm hoping that it is decent and I seek advice on how to improve. Reviews are welcomed, and readers, I thank you for taking your time to read this. Alright, let's get it started!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony or its characters, aside from my OC's.**

Prologue

You stood outside a large mansion. Why you were here, you didn't know. You had received a mysterious letter, asking you to this place. It was late at night, the drive out from the city/town you lived at took longer than you thought. Standing in the shadow of this rather ominous building made you feel a bit nervous. You felt shivers creep up your arm as a cold midnight breeze blew.

You tugged your jacket over you should a bit, trying to get warm. You held the invitation up in your hand and re-read it. It read…

Dear Friend,

I know this may seem rather random, but I've always been known for that. I have an interesting story to tell, but yet no one to hear it. If you are brave enough to come to my mansion, then please do. I'm sure the story will amaze you. Please note, you will find it rather unbelievable, but it will all be true, I swear.

Signed

A good friend

You sigh, knowing how suspicious this is. But with a determined look, you walk to the large front door of the mansion, and give it three hard knocks. You wait a moment. Then another. And just when you believe it to be a prank, and are about to leave, the door creaks. The door opens just slightly. You push it open a bit more and ask.

"Hello?" yet you receive no answer. So, with a courageous step and a fearful gulp, you enter. As you look back outside, and close the door, you swear you see a horse like creature smiling in the distant moon. As soon as you close the door, you find yourself in a dimly lit hall. It was almost pitch black, with enough illumination so you could just see around you.

Throwing caution to the wind, you step forward. Finding the mansions interior rather gloomy, you keep walking, feeling as though if you stop, a boogeyman would pop out of the shadows and snatch you. In the distance, you see a small lining of light. Getting closer, you see it's coming from a creak in the door.

You look back for a second, and swear you see something following you. The silhouette of a horse like creature stood out, ever so slightly. In fear you start walking faster, not know what was behind you. You heard a clicking, and looked back to see more of the creatures there. You step up, seeing the outline of glossy dark blue eyes on the creatures. You walk faster, and faster, until it's a full on sprint.

You're almost to the door, and almost stop when you hear an unearthly cackle. It was full of malice and hatred. With your natural response to curl into a ball and hide being ignored, you lunge at the light. You barrel role. With the cackling almost deafening, you stumble into the lighter room and slam the door.

Sweating in fear, and panting from your jog, you slide down the door you were holding close. With a content sigh from escaping the strange creatures and cackle, you open your eyes and look around. You were in a smaller room, with two paintings, one on each wall to your left and right.

Centered on the other side of the room was a fire place. It crackled as a log burned out and fell into the small inferno. You get up and dust yourself off. You see in front of the fire was two expensive looking velvet seats. There was a small table between them, and you saw a pitcher and a glass. As well as a hand place a second glass of… chocolate milk? On a coaster. You began to approach the seats, believing the sender of your letter sat in one.

You observed the painting to your right as you walked. It was strange, it resembled what you knew as a ying and yang symbol, but the white, or light, side possessed a richly drawn sun rather than a black dot. The other half was more of a dark blue, with a large crescent moon in the thickest side, with a splatter of midnight black around it. Passing the painting, you look to the one opposite of it and examine it similarly.

It had two, knight chess pieces on it. The two pieces faced each other, with one night being dark blue, with a somehow horse like lime on it. The one opposing it was red, with a wide grin on it and a fire in its eyes. The latter piece looked to be insane. You walk around the chair, and get your first look at your apparent host.

In the seat next to an empty one, was an elderly man. He was a bit pale, with short black hair that seemed unkempt, but was combed back, and his white bangs stood up and forward over his forehead. His eyebrows and goat like goatee were white as well.

His eyes were closed, his face seemingly content. You observe his… strange wardrobe. He wore what seemed like a dark brown tailcoat jacket, with one tail being red, the other white. He had what seemed like dress slacks. But one leg was a tan color while the other was a bright green. His left dress shoe was a dark black while the other was a bright white. Under his jacket was a bright yellow button up shirt, and tucked under his left sleeve was a long, matching yellow glove, his right arm having a similar, but more of an orange, glove on it.

You took in his appearance, trying to find a word to describe it, and for some reason the only word you could think of was…

Discord.

Strange, but you stood there and waited. The man opened his eyes to revealing them to be a light yellow with strangely red pupils, only adding to his seemingly chaotic look. He grinned brightly upon seeing you; putting your thoughts of how crazier this could get to rest as you saw one of his teeth to be a sharp fang. You gulped.

"Oh good! You're finally here!" he gleefully said, clapping his hands. He motioned to the seat you stood by. And quickly said…

"Please do have a seat, I honestly didn't think you'd come!" he continued. You did as asked, and had a seat. You felt a wave of comfort come over you as you relaxed into the seat, it being just as comfortable as it looked and more. The man leaned forward and held the pitch in one hand.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked with a smile. Why not? You accepted with a nod and said.

"You have fruit punch?" to be funny. To your surprise, the man poured a bright pink liquid into your glass from the pitcher. You held it up and took a sip. Fruit Punch. You put the glass down and looked at the man; he refilled his glass of chocolate milk, with the same pitcher. He set the magical pitcher down and took his glass and sipped.

"Ah, now I'm sure you know why I asked you are here?" he asked, to which you nodded no. He scrunched his face and sighed.

"Well that's no good. Tell me, do you believe in fairytales?" he asked out of the blue. You furrowed your brow in confusion, to which he chuckled.

"Well whether or not you do, I have a story to tell you." he said. You looked at him curiously as he put down his drink and relaxed into his chair, intertwining his fingers in front of him with his elbows of the armrests.

"You see, I have been many places, and heard many stories. Barely half were true. And I find myself a bit saddened that no one in this world knows how to tell a decent story." he rambled. You were confused by what he said. No one in this world? Before you could question, he continued.

"Now I want you to answer honestly. Would you like to hear an epic story? One of adventure, revelations, betrayal, suspense, and most of all… friendship?" he asked. You thought for a moment. You were curious on what he said, and slightly feared what he said for some reason. But with your curiosity winning, you nodded eagerly, wanting to hear this story.

He smiled almost insanely at this.

"Alright… So to begin, long, long ago, in a land of near perfection, a certain young unicorn would find herself meeting a royal, one thought to be dead for more than millennia…"

**To be continued…**

**Alrighty! This is the prologue, I just want to clear it up, this is not going to be a reader insert. I just wanted to try something that I don't believe common in fanfiction. Also, could you guess the character telling the story before I said his name? If so, you're awesome. Alright, now onto the story. **


	2. Chapter 1: Awakening

**This is the first actual chapter. As I said in the prologue, that was not part of the actual story, aside from being a weird opening. Thank you for reading my fanfiction, as it is my first. Reviews and constructive criticism is welcomed, and if you have any suggestions for me, I appreciate them.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony or any of the show's characters, only my OC's**

Awakened

It was a near perfect day in Equestria. Ponies went about their day, stallions worked in their offices, or fields, and so on. Mare's took care of their households, or shopped at their local markets, or to their own workplaces. Fillies ran around and played, the before being called back to their schoolhouses. Celestia's sun shone high in the sky, and the residents of Equestria couldn't be happier. However, even in lands of seemingly endless joy, dark secrets still lurk.

In a mountainside, further than any pony was willing to travel from civilisation, was a cave. Deep in this ominous mountain that towered over the clouds the pegasus controlled, one of this worlds oh so rare darknesses lied. The cave that carved into the mountain went deeper than one would think.

For into the depths of this cave, was a room with obvious, yet ancient, decorum. In the center of this mountain, lied a large chamber. Once upon a time, large elegant columns stood around its walls, holding the miles deep earth up. Now these pillars were crumbled, some from years of erosion, others resembled being cleanly cut in half. In the center, was a large stone round platform.

It had an obvious design to it, it was once probably beautiful. An insignia of sorts was painted onto the stone, but it was faded beyond recognition. Stone slabs and pebbles littered the ground. Between the pillars were large banners, once made of shimmering cloths, but now mildewed and torn. This room itself look ancient, with no life to be found this room gave an aura of something seen only once or twice in this world's history. Evil.

This arua was amplified by the room's centerpiece. In the exact center of the room, with thick rusted chains connected from its neck and legs to the ground around it, was a statue. It was of a unicorn, an obvious male. His mouth was agape in a scream like fashion. His expression was that of anger, rage, and malice.

He wore an armor of sorts. It resembled that of the Canterlot guards, but was sinister. It's Greek like helmet was twisted, and dented, but rather than a head tail, two thick strands came from the helmet, wrapping around his horn. He had a thick plated steel breastplate, with a heavy looking shoulder guard on his left shoulder. From the shoulder guard was a crimson red cape, with holes in it and was tattered at the edges. There was an insignia centered on the stallions' breastplate.

It was a crimson red, knight chess piece, with on almost insane looking horse grin and a fire in its eyes. The insignia showed on the stallions flank as well. The armor was a dark pitch black color, which only outlined the stallions' stone form. It stood on its hind legs, its forelegs thrown out in rage, the open muzzle showed sharp, flesh piercing canines. If this figure had been living at one point, it was surely terrifying. In fact it was.

All was silent in this cavern, only the faint dribble of water falling was heard. A bead of water dripped down a stalactite, before dangling. With a second of peace, the drop fell. It fell through the darkness, and in an inaudible splash, it a puddle.

Almost instantly, a crack formed across the stone stallions left eye. Another drop fell, making an almost perfect replica of the previous drops splash. And as before, another crack appeared on the statue. Another drop fell, another crack formed.

And again. With each, almost agonizingly slow drop, another crack would appear on the statue. It seemed almost forever, but the figures entire body was covered in cracks. Now free from the water droplets pace, cracks continued on the statue. Stretching and bending over his exposed body, and under his armor. One sole, tiny crevice, reached up to the tip of his horn. And then, a large flash of light came from the statue.

Each crack illuminated, to a light that surely would have blinded anypony who would have been there. And in an instant, it was gone. The room became its gloomy self once again, almost unaffected. The cracked statue still stood, and then…

*Crash* The chains that held it ever so firmly shattered, like glass, into thousands of tiny pieces across the undisturbed ground. The Figures stony form moved. In a shaky, yet powerful movement, the figures forelegs came down to the ground. His muzzle closed, and his eyes… winked. With his head going slack, and hanging low to the ground, he suddenly shot up.

His head stood tall and proud, and the stone skin blew off of him. Blasting into the still standing columns, the raggy banners, anything, the stone that was once held him blew apart. In place of the stone statue, now stood a panting, very alive stallion. He looked around, observing his surroundings. He muttered, almost somberly.

"I'm… I'm back." he realised, in seeming shock. His appearance had changed with his awakening. His armor was gone now, blown away with the stone, revealing his full figure. He had a crimson red color to his fur, his mane was short and slightly unkempt, and was dark black with a red streak across it. His tail was of medium length, with matching color. His hoofs were seemingly spiked by his fur, and were black as well.

The most drastic change though, was his cutie mark. It had changed, and rather than the insane looking horse, was still a knight chess piece, but it was of a dark blue, with closed eyes and a content smile. The pony looked himself up and down before sighing.

"I guess I should leave this place…" he mopped to himself, also revealing regular herbivore teeth. His red horn lighting up with a red aura to illuminate his path as he walked towards a tunnel entrance at the edge of the room.

(Canterlot: Palace)

Princess Luna, the ruler of the night herself walked through her, and sisters, palace. She had an irritated look on her face, while she walked deep in thought. She felt something was off. The previous night, she had sensed something when she was watching over her subjects dreams. Each pony had their own dreams, and thus, their own dreamscapes. Last night, Luna had sense something.

A new dreamscape. More than that, it was one she could not interfere with. Deep in thought, she wandered around the castle; she stumbled slightly as a wave of nausea came over her. She then brought a hoof to her head as she felt a sudden migraine came over her. A nearby day guard noticed her stumbling and approached.

"Princess Luna, are you not feeling well?" he asked concernedly. Luna focused in on the guard.

"Yes, I do believe we need a-" she stopped mid sentence as the sudden pain left just as quickly as it came. Blinking in confusion, she failed to remember to answer the guard.

"Um, Princess, perhaps you should go and rest…?" he suggested. She nodded.

"Yes, thank you, thou may return to thou's duties. I will go and… rest my head." she told the guard, who nodded and left the lunar mare alone. She in turn left the opposite way. When she was out of the sight, she began to sprint. She ran right between the two guards outside the throne room, and blew through the doors.

Upon entered the long and equally large room she saw the princess of the sun up on her throne, massaging her head with a hoof, with a strenuous look on her muzzle. She opened her eyes to see her sister and co-ruler.

"Luna? What are you doing here?" she asked in her always kind voice. Luna looked at her frantically.

"Did you feel that?" she questioned worriedly. Celestia's eyes widened a bit before returning to their regular size. She stood and approached her sister.

"I did my sister." she answered, now right in front of Luna. Said mare looked up to her sister.

"Tia… Do you think it could be…" she didn't finish her thought, with slight tears in her eyes. Celestia had pulled her into a loving hug.

"No… Lulu, it can't be. He died over a millennium ago." she said reassuringly. Luna returned the hug, closing her eyes contently.

"You're right Tia… I'm sorry." she said. Celestia smiled, but behind her sisters back she frowned.

That presence… No, he died, that's what they told us… she thought privately. Yet still, even the great princess of the sun can be unsure of herself.

(Back in the cave)

The unicorn stallion finally made it through the seemingly endless black of the cave, and now stood in the light. He raised a leg over his eyes to protect them from the light. Slowly but surely, he lowered his leg and approached the edge of the cave. He looked out over the land known as Equestria and smiled, his lips cracking from dryness. He smiled, and spoke to himself.

"It's been so long… Ha! What will I do now?" he laughed to himself as he fell onto his stomach. He looked over the land, taking in every beautiful tree, every green pasture. In the distance, he barely saw the outline of a town on the horizon. He then continued.

"I bet not a single pony remembers me…" he said. But it wasn't sad. It seemed his voice was more, hopeful. He smiled to himself, seeing nothing but a happy future ahead. Then he frowned, and his eyes widened as he heard a malicious, bone chilling cackle.

"**OH? I can think of at two other alicorns who do…"** A dark demented voice, filled with obvious dark intent spoke out of nowhere. The cave filled with an almost choking air, and the ambiance became one of evil and hatred. The stallion stood up and jumped back, looking left right, up and down, anywhere for the voice.

"**YOU! Where are you!?"** he screamed. To one's shock, it was in a deep voice that was known as the Royal Canterlot voice. The cackling only grew into a maddening laugh.

"**I'm where I have been for the last 2,000 years. Tartarus."** the voice said. The stallion just lit up his horn, it trickled with a somehow sickly red and black electricity.

"**Then leave me be and rot! You've done enough to me and this land!"** he yelled out. The cackling stopped.

"**Oh? I'm sure you were by my side every step of the way… Alcander."** the voice shot back. Alcander stood strong. The strange voice still missing a body, he decided to do something drastic. Which was shoot beams of dark magic in every direction. He shot them out into the air around the mountain, he shot them into the cave, he singed the caves walls and even caused a short earthquake.

Panting, and hoping he got rid of the voice, he rested his head down, but still kept his guard. Then the cackling came back.

"**Do you think that you could best me!? With the form of magic I made myself!?"** it yelled through it's laughs. The magic around Alcander's horn faded, and disappeared. He sighed in defeat.

"True… That and you're not even here." he muttered. The cackling stopped, and the voice seemed to fill with something else as it spoke. Pride.

"**Alcan, you were my most trusted general! An element of dissonance! Free the others, free me! and we can rule this world once more!"** it offered. Alcan sighed.

"Two thousand years in prison and your ambition only grows… However, unlike you, I've thought about things for these two millennia, and I've realised I was content before. You poisoned my mind, and I lost everything. My friends, my family, my loves…. I will not stoop that low again!" he snapped. For a moment, not a sound passed. With Alcan glaring into the air, knowing the voice's owner would see him. Then the voice sighed.

"**Huh… Fine Alcan, I won't ramble on. I'm sure you're still stubborn as before. But know this. MY forces rebuild themselves, my generals are awakening. And if you stand against us, we will destroy you. And just in case you miss us…"** the voice paused. Alcan noticed a small shimmer out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see a sickly green and black aura form, and then mix into a saddlebag. One flap was open, revealing it was filled with gems and precious stones of all kind. Rubies, Diamonds, Gold, It could easily produce a small fortune.

"**Just in case you change your mind. A gift, and a taste, of all fortunes you could have upon joining me… again."** And with that the voice stopped. The strange aura that had filled the cave lifted, and the unicorn relaxed slightly, knowing he was alone. He eyed the bag of gems and sighed.

"Well I'm not one for turning down free bits." he said to himself, and with magic threw the saddlebag over his bag. He trotted to the edge of the cave and looked out to the town in the distance. With a heavy sigh he spoke to himself.

"That town looks promising. Why'd my stronghold have to be so damn far away?" he asked himself, and began making the long walk down the mountain, through the woods, over the bridge, and into town. He was able to find a rocky fringe that seemed to steepen downward, and figured it was the only path he'll find.

With the heavy sack of precious stones on his back, he hiked. He made his way down the long path which zigzagged down the mountain side. It was a long path, one that would easily have tired the average pony hours ago, but never the less, Alcan continued trekking, wiping a bead of sweat away from his forehead.

He looked to the horizon. Celestia's sun, as he remembered, being near midday when he started. Now, it had begun it's setting, approaching the edge of the visible land. He sighed as he continued his journey, knowing he wouldn't reach the distant town before Luna's night came upon them. After hours of long, strenuous walking, he finally saw the base of the mountain. Surrounded by a heavy campus of green trees was the end of the path he had fallowed.

Reaching the top of the tree line he continued. Then he began to be surrounded by the thick woods. He reached the end of the stone walkway, and stepped onto the rich earth. He smiled to himself, knowing that this was no dream. He rubbed and tapped his hoofs on the ground, and jumped.

He began laughing, that being the only sound for miles. He jumped from place to place, he rolled in the dirt, and he even hugged a tree. Plopping down on his back, still laughing, and ignoring the saddlebag filled with sharp riches. His laughing died down to a light chuckle as he looked up the now crimson sky of evening. He slowly got up, smiling like a mad stallion, and wiped a tear of joy from his eye.

He looked on, into the dark demeaning forest known as the Everfree. He stood proudly and relaxed, before looking to the sky again and said.

"It's great to be back." before turning to the canopied trail ahead of him. He began trotting, filled with a new sense of happiness. He eyed and glanced at every tree, every rock, and every scampering animal. He loved this. Being back in the world of the living, no longer bound by his stone prison, he kept on going, never once losing the light pep in his step.

He kept on going, the sky slowly changing to the darker color of twilight. He stopped as his ear twitched. He looked to the right, and a questioning expression came over his face as a bush shook. It was easy enough to understand that something was in it. Backing up a few steps, igniting his horn with its crimson aura, he glared at the bush.

Alcander waited in a moment of suspense, expecting one of the many dangerous creatures of the Everfree to come barreling at him any moment. The bushes shaking continued, getting more angry and ragged. And suddenly, out of the bush, came… a bunny.

Instantly, Alcan let his guard go down, the magic around his horn disappearing. He eyed the bunny, his head crooked in slight confusion. The reason for this was that the bunny was somehow frowning. Rabbits can do that? It was a small creature, with snow white fur and an angry scowl on its face, its ears down in irritation. Not knowing what to do, he bent his head down with a light smile.

"Hey there little guy, what's with the long-" before he could finish his greeting, the bunny threw out its tongue and raspberries at him. Alcan backed up in surprise, not expecting to meet such a rude bunny on his first day of freedom. Before he could do anything else, the bunny disappeared into the bush it emerged from, and Alcan was left to his thoughts. His mouth agape, Alcan shook his head, along with his momentary confusion, and chuckled to himself.

"Bunnies could do that? Heh, something new every day." he said to no one in particular. His smile returned as he decided it was best to resume his journey. Then he sensed it. An ominous presence of dread, its aura was weakly felt by the stallion as he looked off to his left. He squinted his eyes, looking to find the source of the dreary presence. With eyes squinted, he saw through the dark bushes and sickly green trees.

And at last, his eyes rested on the source. It was the place of Nightmare Moon's defeat, a thousand years ago, and in more recent history. The Castle of the Two Sisters. The silhouette of the once grand castle clearly standing out as Luna's moon began to rise in the background, signifying the beginning of night. Seeing the long ago abandoned castle, Alcan's eyes widened.

Then he remembered what the voice had told him back in the cave hours ago.

"_I can think of at least two other alicorns who do…"_ the line replayed in his mind. He put a hoof to his mouth and he nervously glanced at the castle. He spoke his mind to himself.

"Could they really remember me…" he said into space. His confused look was replaced with a one of determination and perhaps, hopes. "Only one way to find out." He stated.

With that he began a fast paced march of sorts to the castle. It being too dark a night for him to see the details, he kept moving forward. He came to the ancient wooden bridge that the elements of harmony had crossed not too long ago. He eyed rigid bridge with an eyebrow raised in confusion.

It wasn't like this last time…. he thought to himself. Being the unicorn he is, with a flash from his horn a swirling red vortex appeared in front of him. He walked into the vortex. In an instant, as it disappeared, another portal appeared on the other side, and alcan walked out. As the portal dissipated, he eyed the canyon, and spotted a rather long staircase on the side he was just on. Oh well, another venture for another day. Then he turned to the castle and made his way up to it.

As he got closer, his thoughts filled with more and more questions as more of the ancient castles details came into view. The crumbled walls of stone, the eroded towers that once stood tall and proud, the moss that had grown over the castle. It was all rather shocking to him. He came to the large decorated doors, and accidently pushed one open in an attempt to knock.

His curiosity overcoming him, he wandered into the ancient hall. He looked on, to see the once grand hall decimated by years of uncare. The grand pillars that held the roof now held cracks and fractures of all sizes; one had even fallen over, blocking half of the path to the steps that led to the rest of the castle.

He walked around the pillar, examining each and every spot of damage to the place. The stain glass window above the stairs that once held the cold night air at bay was shattered; the two banners of the princess of the day and the princess of the night that flanked it were torn and patchy, with their once grand colors faded.

Alcan circled, taking in the sight in disbelief and he could feel fear slowly growing in him. His eyes began to water, as the fear of not knowing the happenings of the past millennium began to lead to crazy paranoid suggestions. Could they be dead? Could they have been attacked? He knew not. In his unstable emotional state, he cried out in fear.

"Celestia! Luna! Sisters! Where are you!?" he cried to the heavens. The tears of fear broke through as he sobbed. Not knowing what had become of his sisters.

(Canterlot: Celestia's room)

Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria sat in her room alone. She had finished lowering the sun for her sister's night almost an hour ago, but she couldn't find herself able to sleep. Her thoughts lingered on the incident earlier. When she was just awaiting her next stack of paperwork, and suddenly felt a painful headache come over her.

The reason for her headache is what plagued her. She knew it wasn't natural, but what could have possibly had such a mental effect on her? She sat at her vanity combing her multi-colored hair like she had been for the past half hour. She finally sighed, and placed the brush down, the golden aura disappearing around it and her horn. She made her way to her bed, finally deciding to try and get some sleep.

Before she could step into bed however, the glass door leading to her balcony blew open. It was slow, and rather strange. Celestia eyed the door, and was surprised when no breeze came from outside. She trotted over to the balcony, and stepped out into the cold air. She kept going, and stopped at the edge of her outlook.

She looked over Canterlot. She watched as the lights of the many houses went out, and shop keepers who had stayed out late closed down for the night. She smiled upon seeing the end of another day, her subjects heading off to their dreams where her sister would protect them. She turned her gaze to the distant town of Ponyville, where her student Twilight Sparkle along with the elements of harmony resided.

The joy behind her smile only increased as she thought of all the feats those six has accomplished. Defeating Discord, bringing back her sister, learning more and more about the magic of friendship every day. Her lips turned to a frown as she spotted the Everfree forest next to the town.

So many bad memories lied there. From banishing her sister to the moon, to being the last place they ever saw him. She felt her eyes widen, and paranoia she had never felt for centuries return when she swore she heard in the distance.

"Sisters! Where are you!?" she shook it off as pure wishful thinking, and turned to her room and began to walk to her bed. As her horn lit up with a golden aura, and the glass door began to close, she couldn't help but give one last somber glance at the Everfree.

(Back in the Castle of the two Sisters)

Alcander wept silently. He knew no answer would come, no matter how much he wanted to hear his dear sister's voices again. He clenched his teeth and began to wipe away the tears with a leg and mumbled to himself.

"No use crying now you idiot, I have to find some civilization." he scolded himself as he walked to the exit. He eyed the empty hall one more time, before opening the great door, and quietly closing it as he left. He sighed; his eyes now dry, but still had a puffy red to them. Determination spreading across his face, he clenched a hoof.

_They wouldn't die that easy. I'll find them, and I'll make things right_. He thought. He snapped his head back as he heard the nearby scream of a mare.

"EEEEEE!" it rang out through the forest. Without a moment's hesitation, he took off. Not bothering the walk, he formed a portal in front of him, and transported himself to the forests edge in from an identical vortex. The screaming continuing, he ran into the Everfree, ready to rescue whoever was giving off such a terror filled cry.

"PLEASE HELP ME!" the same voice yelled out. Alcan's ears twitched as he zoned in on the voice. He followed it, running as fast as his hoofs could carry him. In a moment, he popped out from the bush into a small clearing. It took him but a second to analyse the situation.

At the opposite end of the clearing was a pony. A mare was huddled into a ball, hiding behind her long mane on the ground and was seemingly shaking in fear. In front of her was the bunny Alcan had ran into earlier, with that same tough guy look. Its arms were up in a fighting motion, like he was about to box with somepony, or thing.

Alcan examined the five timberwolves that leered in front of the two. With gnarled branches for legs, and thick logs for bodies, the fear derived from their sharpened stick like teeth and claws, with an evil green slant for eyes. They drooled sap in hunger as they approached the mare and bunny, ready to pounce on their prey. To their dismay, they heard a certain stallion roar behind them.

"You will not harm those two!" Alcander roared as loud and as threatening as one could without using the royal canterlot voice. The bunny eyed him as if saying, "What took ya so long?" and the mare peeked through her mane to see the proud red and black stallion. The timberwolves, barely unnerved by the voice, simply turned their hungry glares to him.

They snarled, and growled at the unicorn that had interrupted what would have been their dinner. The one that stood closest to the mare approached. Alcander saw this beast to be almost a full size larger than the others, most likely the alpha. When the alpha was close to him, in front of its pack, an angry stare down ensued. With their hungry glares trying to make Alcan cower, and his equally terrifying look keeping them at bay.

"Well! Have at me!" Alcan yelled, which surely would have been a death penalty in any other ponies case. One brave wolf to the left of the alpha began to walk, and then out of the blue, lunged the stallion. It swiftly met its end when in midair, its face met with Alcan's powerful buck. In a split second he had swiveled on his forelegs, and kicked his back legs up. The wolf was kicked away from him, in pieces. This seemed to surprise the wolves. With the minor confusion fading, Alcan used his portals to appear behind the wolves.

Standing in front of the mare, his head held low as if ready to charge. He glared at the wolves as they realised he was gone and turned to face him. Allowing its animalistic senses to take over, the alpha lunged at the ponies from the back of its pack. Before it could even get in front of the pack, a large red beam blasted it right in the chest. It flew back, and slammed into a tree, shattering on impact.

The remaining wolves looked in shock at their leaders' easy defeat. They looked back to the stallion, whose horn shimmered in its magical color. They saw his eyes. His glaring eyes were filled with something both new and old to the land of Equestria. It held hatred. Pure untapped hatred, for combined with utter mercilessness. It screamed, "You step a millimeter out of line, I won't hesitate to end you." Alcan, knowing this was fact for him, waited.

Until less than a second later, the three remaining timberwolves took off running into the forest, mossy tails between their legs and yipping in fear. With a content sigh, and replacing his glare with worry for the mare behind him, he turned.

He observed the mare, her light yellow fur and long light pink mane and tail matching perfectly, her body curled in fear, and the obvious sounds of crying coming from her. She held her mane down, hiding her face behind it once more. Alcander saw her cutie mark. Which were three little butterflies with light pink wings. The tough bunny was now by her head, patting her mane to try and cheer her up, his angry face replaced by a worried one, like Alcander.

Remembering a similar sight from oh so long ago, he did what he thought best to comfort the terrified mare. He pulled her up and into a gently, worry filled hug. Her sobbing stopped, as she was filled with surprise. She was further surprised by the feel of a hoof gently stroking her mane in an attempt to calm her.

"Shhh…" a gentle voice said to her. She looked up to see Alcan smiling. "All the baddies are gone now, you're safe." he said with a smile. The mare returned her smile, somehow her fear evaporating into the night air as he held her. She smiled to the stallion, then blushing a deep red as she realised something. A strange stallion that just saved her from timberwolves was holding her.

She pushed him away, him grunting, and she fell back and rambled. Her blush never leaving.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" she tried to apologize in a panicked, yet somehow soft tone, but stopped as she saw him getting up, chuckling as he stood. He smiled brightly.

"It's fine, I'm just glad you're safe." he said, trying to mask his amusement with a hoof. Her blush coming down, he approached her.

"If anything, I apologize, for surprising you with that hug." he said, the smile never leaving his lips. She smiled back shyly, as Alcan realized something.

"So, timberwolves aside, I'm Alcander, may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" he introduced himself. She nodded a yes.

"I- I'm Fluttershy" she answered shyly. Fluttershy stood there, eyeing the strange mare. He had a short black mane with a red stripe, a crimson color to his fur, and a medium length tail. That along with a strange chess piece cutie mark. Also he carried a heavy looking saddlebag.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Fluttershy. Though, I know we just met, perhaps I should escort you out of the Everfree?" he asked. She thought about it for a moment. Sure, he saved her from timberwolves, and even comforted her, but he was still a stranger. But fearing the return of the timberwolves, she accepted.

"Yes, please do. If you don't mind that is?" she answered, receiving a chuckle.

"Of course I wouldn't mind." he walked past her and motion in the direction of the forests edge. Fluttershy was about to follow, then she noticed the splintered remains of the wolves.

"Wait, shouldn't we do something with their remains?" she asked, worried for the now shattered timberwolves. Alcan's eyebrows rose in surprise of her kindness, even to those who would kill her. Then chuckled.

"No, they're known for their regenerative powers, and it wasn't life threatening magic I used on them." he informed her. She sighed in relief.

"Oh good, then we should go now, if that's okay with you?" she timidly asked, earning another chuckle.

"Of course, you know you don't have to ask me permission on everything right?" he asked as she trotted up to him. It was then Alcander noticed her wings.

_A Pegasus? On the ground? Strange._ He thought to himself. They began to walk together, heading for the Everfree's end. The bunny had hopped onto Alcander's back, and had stretched out on his neck for a nap. He didn't mind.

"I'- I'm sorry." she apologized again. Alcander just sighed.

"It's fine, but I know a way you can make it up to me." he said, a smirk on his muzzle. Fluttershy feared for her safety for a moment, not knowing what the stallion meant.

"Oh? Um… how?" she bravely inquired. He turned his head to the path ahead.

"You can point me to the nearest town once we get out of here." he said. Fluttershy relaxed, knowing that this stallion wasn't trying anything disturbing.

(Meanwhile: In Tartarus)

A dark figure paced back and forth across his fiery domain. It was obviously a pony, but was shrouded by a strange unnatural darkness. IT growled quietly as it moved. Its home was a large slab of stone, an island of sorts, in the middle of an ocean of lava. Fire bursts came from the lava once in awhile; threatening to catch anything it touched on fire.

"**That fool!"** the figure yelled in a deep, hate filled voice. Its evil aura emitted from its mouth as it spoke.

"**Fine! If he won't be persuaded, I'll have to start with the weaker cretens of my army…"** It stopped it's pacing as a simple, golden lined mirror appeared in front of it. Rather than its reflection, it showed a dank musty cave. In the cave, distant green lights barely illuminated the scene. What the cave held though, was nothing but dank, egg like, things.

Littered across the caves, on its ceiling, its walls, the floors, was hundreds of thousands of dark green, sticky looking cocoons. Some were cracked and broken, whilst others oozed the strange substance. The figure grinned a malicious smile.

"**Deceit's shapeshifting children and wife should do rather nicely…"** the figure told himself. A large scar began to form on the mirror, reflecting in the cave. It cracked up the mirror and crawled through the hoards of eggs, up to the top of a tall spiralled stalagmite. On top were two lone cocoons, they were obviously larger than the others, both possessing the shadows of strange, alicorn like creatures. The crack made its way up the stalagmite, and onto the smaller cocoon. It glowed a moment, before….

*Crash* the mirror shattered, leaving the malicious, yet seductive cackle of a certain shape shifting queen, to resonate throughout Tartarus and the cave in the mirror.

**To be continued…**

**And chapter one is complete! What did you think of that? I hope you enjoyed it. So This Alcander is the long believed dead brother of the Princesses. What could this mean? HOw come he's a unicorn? Who is the mysterious voice, who are these shapeshifting children and wife? How will Alcander survive in an Equestria 2000 years after his imprisonment? All will be answered. Reviews welcomed!**


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